Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

The London City Airport is within half a mile of the 'shard'...what chance to bring down an aircraft that has just taken off from there?
London was a stupid place to have the olympics.

I see on todays news, another 3,500 troops are being deployed which means 17,000 troops will now be involved in the Olympics. It would impose an extra burden on the armed forces over the British summer holiday season, but was "prudent" to ensure security.

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

Strathclyde Police to fill security gap at Olympic football games Eight Olympic football games will be played at Scotland's national stadium
Scotland's largest police force is on standby to help with security for the Olympic Games after a contractor failed to vet and train enough guards.

Strathclyde Police officers will be used make up any shortfall for football matches at Glasgow's Hampden Stadium if G4S is unable to meet its commitments.

Eight matches are due to take place there between 25 July and 3 August.

More than 3,000 soldiers are being drafted in to work at the Olympic Park in London amid concerns about G4S.

Strathclyde's Asst Ch Con Fiona Taylor said extra police officers would be deployed at Hampden if there were not enough stewards and guards

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

I am rather mystified that it should be thought necessary to place the missiles on residential buildings when there must be plenty of government/local government buildings that would be suitable for the purpose.
I am also surprised at the lack of secrecy this measure has produced, is this intentional and are the powers that be hoping to deter would be terrorists by the revelation?

Presumably the concern is a plane being used to cause mayhem but I would be surprised if ground missiles were needed. If any unapproved aircraft was to enter our airspace RAF fighters would surely be scrambled to intercede.

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

There are lots of small and private airfields near London and all over the south east of the country. I presume all small planes will be grounded for the six weeks?

And I still think City Airport is questionable.

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

I wouldn't think so they should be able to file their flight plans as usual and get clearance .

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

People, what sort of missiles? Nuclear? What propaganda is this? Anyone with any knowledge of ballistics will know that missiles being prepared for launch on top of public or residential buildings can not be seen as any form of deterrent because no such building could withstand a launch of that magnitude. A building would just collapse just under the payload that these missiles carry (initial take-off) so they wouldn't even be launched. How ridiculous is that? The blast from the launch alone at count-down to 0 would cause enormous destruction, fires and great loss of life. Ground to air missiles have to be launched from the ground, not a man made structure so I don't know where this has come from.

Sorry, quick rant for a second! What the bleeding hell are missiles being equipped and armed for a sporting event for anyway! Rant over. Told you it would be quick!

The reason is that these sports are being held in the capital, London, which is a prime target for any other nation wishing harm upon us and, if missiles are launched toward London, then we have counter-missiles in the hope that the enemy will be intercepted. The counter-missiles would most definitely NOT be on a public or residential building in London, but would be from silos harbouring these weapons many miles away and being monitored by extremely hi-tech weapons facilities from a top secret bunker which none of us will ever know about, and have been there for decades monitoring such an event. Nowt new there.

I very much doubt that any other nation would launch missiles on another country, perhaps causing a nuclear war for the sake of a few games. For goodness sake! That's bonkers but, however, when they're stopping folk from taking nothing more than fish and chips food-wise into the games is laughable because anyone wanting to take a bomb there would be so easy.

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

They mentioned on the radio this morning that missiles had been placed in 6 locations, also Typhoon Jets and armed helicopters would be on standby.

Normal commercial flights will go ahead but there will be flying restricts on all other aircraft which will need special permission to fly .

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

All seems a little overboard I agree, but it's another case of damned if they do and damned if they don't. The world is a dangerous place and surely we have no choice other than to place such matters, and our trust in the hands of the experts. Like all insurance, let's hope it is never needed...

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

I can't even begin to imagine how you people would feel if none of this stuff was done and we were left to the mercy of the terrorists. Seriously, this kind of stuff is essential in today's world and there are many experts out there making the decisions and putting security into place. I don't think its our place to criticise what they're doing or how they're doing it..........mainly because none of us is qualified to do so.

Re: Are Olympic missiles just for show?

Mazzie I couldn't agree more, whether, things are put in place and never used, whether the Army is being used, I would personally think that by bringing troops home from places they are NOT wanted, not only are safeguarding our own shores but we are also saving billions ( which should keep those happy that are always whinging on the cost of things) by doing so.

If none of this is needed, and please god, it won't be, it does send a message to others, that we are indeed ---aware--- of such an attack, mind you, I dare say those whinging about all the effort and cost going into this will be the first to be braying about the sad lack of this and that SHOULD something happen, as someone said earlier, damned if you do, damned if you dont.

To answer someones question earlier regarding the "thrust" involved when a rocket is fired, we are talking "ground to air missiles here", they fire off something like a firework rocket, they are comparitively light and are usually fired from a "tube". To what I imagine the the questioner was thinking of, which is an "Inter continental ballistic missile" which is either fired from a "silo pad" or launched from a forty tonne carrier type vehicle.